Ryan Gosling on The Gray Man, wearing a Tag Heuer timepiece in film – The Hollywood Reporter

At a dinner and reception at a private residence in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, actor Ryan Gosling said sign up as a watchmaker brand ambassador Bye, this year “just been a great collaboration so far.” That includes wearing a Carrera Three Hands timepiece in the new Netflix movie the gray manas well as appearing in a just-released ad campaign for TAG Heuer associated with the film.

But in a toast before dinner, both the actor and TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault talked about how Gosling’s hair, which he dyed blonde for another role—as Ken in the upcoming Barbie film by director Greta Gerwig — presented a dilemma for including the ads attached to it the gray man† In the latter, in which Gosling plays a spy known as Sierra Six, the actor has brown hair.

“There was some discussion internally because when we took these pictures Ryan was blonde for another movie he was shooting,” Arnault said, adding that the discussion turned between “Okay, let’s keep him blonde?” or “Are we being very strict about it? the gray man† In the end, the blond color won. “We thought, ‘Okay, we need to be authentic with the way we shot it, and it’s not meant to be a strict copy of the gray man† It’s a different campaign.”

Gosling then said that “we had a lot of conversations around it” [the blond hair],” adding: “Secretly I get a lot of joy out of it because I know that the gray man would be Ken’s favorite movie, so it warms my heart to see Ken in these pictures.”

The actor signed his ambassador agreement with TAG Heuer, his… very first with a brand, last year, has since made appearances as the creator’s Carerra Three Hands face, whom he calls his “personal favorite.” He said he likes the Carrera – one of the world’s most iconic and recognizable timepieces dating back to its introduction in 1964 – because “it’s practical…and really elegant. It wears easily and it’s easy to wear.” read.” He added: “You don’t want it to take time looking at it. You just want it to give you.”

Many of the reasons he loves the Carrera as his everyday watch are also why it works in the gray mansaid the actor. He describes his Sierra Six spy character as “an analog hero in a digital world. He has no gadgets. He doesn’t rely on technology. He just has his humor and his pragmatism and human ingenuity. He is very pragmatic.”

The all-mechanical 39mm steel Carrera seen in the film reflects those traits and “you can wear it with anything,” which was important, Gosling said, because of Sierra Six’s varied costumes, which range from a red suit to a tracksuit and an acid-washed look. “This character is going through a lot. It’s like nine action scenes in this movie and he’s on the run for the entire movie. So it’s like multiple different identities in a way…but the watch stays the same. With this movie…tried We’re creating a new take on a spy character, so I thought this particular watch was helpful,” Gosling said.

Gosling — who said the very first watch he bought was a Hulk Hogan Casio that he bought with “paper money” — also noted that another brand had originally been on board to provide watches for the film. Without mentioning the brand, Gosling recalled trying one of this other maker’s watches and decided it wasn’t right for the role. “It was way too big. It was really impractical. It just felt like something a spy would never wear.”

the gray man, directed by The Russo Brothers, hits theaters July 15 and streams on Netflix July 22. “It’s my first real action movie,” Gosling says.

Why so many watches have featured prominently in action movies – from the… bond series to Top Gun and The expendables – Gosling said, “You know, I think because every second is a life-or-death moment in the world of these movies. It’s all about precision, and timing is everything.”

In addition to Gosling and Arnault, the dinner included Joe and Anthony Russo and actors like the gray man co-star Jessica Henwick, BridgertonSimone Ashley and Mamoudou Athie (Jurassic World Dominion†